Born Henry Saint Claire Fredericks, the artist known as Taj Mahal never fails to bring down the house, and this 22-track wonder is one of his all-time best albums. The electrified set of Giant Step ranges from Carole King and Gerry Goffin's "Take A Giant Step" to a bluesy renditions of "Keep Your Hands off Her," "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl," "Six Days on the Road," and "Bacon Fat" to a gospelized version of Blind Willie Johnson's "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond." The second set, De Old Folks at Home, is acoustic, with classics like "Candy Man," "Cluck, Old Hen," "Colored Artistocracy," and "Fishin' Blues." Esquire included this quintessential Mahal CD on its 2009 list of "The 75 Albums Every Man Should Own," but we can testify that women love it too.